


The Binding

by ApocalypseThen



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: And Then Something Weird Happens, Dubious Consent, F/F, Mass Effect Kink Meme, Romance, Tentacles, The Thorian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-05-12 11:27:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5664442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApocalypseThen/pseuds/ApocalypseThen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashley has been sent to Zhu's Hope, on Feros, to interface between the Alliance science team investigating the effects of the Thorian and the colonists. They're a close-knit community. Shiala, the asari who turned green, gives her a warm welcome and a positively moist goodbye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you're just here for the smut, it's in chapter 3 :D
> 
> A fill for the kink meme:
> 
> http://masseffectkink.livejournal.com/9115.html?thread=44426139#t44426139  
> Green Alien Women - Shiala  
> "I think one of the most critically under-appreciated characters in the Mass Effect universe is Shiala, the lovely green asari. From her biotic skill to awkward flirting, it's a shame that we never got to pursue anything with her. I'd love to see something with a character (preferably male Shep or Ashley) go all Captain Kirk on this beautiful green alien woman."

Ashley rolled awake with her heart pounding. She blinked twice in the sunshine filtering through the blinds. Her dream faded rapidly, leaving only a lingering impression of wet green heat and the foetid odour of lush vegetation. The smell was the new normal for Feros. Since the demise of the Thorian, a riot of flora had been competing vigorously to see who could fill the ecological spectrum it had occupied. They were feeding off its carcass as it decayed into nutrient rich compost and producing a cacophony of smells to challenge the most hardened constitutions. 

She wasn't surprised that it had worked its way into her subconscious. It had hit her and the scientists she was shepherding like a wet fish in the face the moment they had stepped off the shuttle. For a first night in a new posting, it hadn't been the worst experience of her life. The bed was comfortable and the cuisine hearty. The people were reticent, but she hadn't been expecting anything else.

The colonists of Zhu's Hope had been exposed to the Thorian spores more or less deliberately by the scientists of the Exogeni corporation, to see what would happen and whether the Thorian's powers could be harnessed. Despite their ultimate liberation from the control of the sentient plant, it would be foolish to believe that they would welcome a scientific delegation with anything but suspicion. Ashley was mainly there to provide a friendly face, to interface between the colonists and the Alliance biologists.

Shiala on the other hand, was something of an enigma. Hers had been the only smile among the dour faces of the welcoming committee. The duty of showing them to their quarters and ensuring they were fed had seemed to rest entirely on her shoulders. 

Ashley's brief was to keep her eyes open and report back to her superiors. She wasn't supposed to go looking for information or be noticeably nosy. She couldn't figure out Shiala, though. What was she still doing here? Dedicating herself to the well-being of the colony seemed like overcompensating. Nothing that had happened here was her fault, she had been indoctrinated first by Sovereign and then by the Thorian. Yet she was determined to take responsibilty. Something didn't add up.

Ashley pulled on her light fatigues and did up her boots. She looked longingly at her armor, stacked neatly in the corner of her quarters. This was most definitely not a combat operation. She wasn't sure if she was cut out for this diplomatic nonsense, but of the three humans who had rescued the colony from the Thorian, she was the only one still standing. 

She crossed herself briefly and muttered a prayer for her fallen comrades. “Join up, see the galaxy, shoot a bunch of people in the face,” she mumbled to herself. On the hunt for Saren, kicking ass by Shepard's side, everything had been pretty cut and dried. Since then, everything had gone to hell. She wasn't sure what she was doing any more. Perhaps a little time helping people instead of shooting them down would be a welcome change of pace.

She strapped on her sidearm in any case. She didn't want to feel totally naked. Most of the colonists carried a pistol, was among the first things she had noticed. Maybe they had a rat problem. Maybe they just didn't want to be caught off their guard.

Ashley headed down the corridor and out into the bright early sun. The morning was relatively cool, but Feros could become scorching in the afternoons. She wandered over to the shaded area they used for their communal breakfasts. It looked like all the colonists were up and waiting for, or working on their breakfasts. A couple of her science team had beaten her to it, and were sitting sleepy eyed trying to figure out how to get their caffeine fix politely when nobody would make eye contact.

Oh, god. She hoped she wasn't expected to hold their hands when they had to go pee-pee, too. She rolled her eyes and stepped up to the cook. “Morning,” she said. “Coffee?”

The cook grunted and jerked his head over towards a brazier. “Much obliged,” said Ashley, figuring a little bit of old-world politeness would go a long way with colony types. The cook grunted again. “Pardon me?”

“I said,” the cook cleared his throat, “how'd you like your eggs?”

“Sunny side up?” Ashley hazarded with a hopeful smile and wide eyes. Man, being charming was hurting her cheeks. She should just leap the counter, flip the service table over for cover, enfilade the supplies and...

Shiala appeared at her elbow. “Same for me please, Hermann,” she said, defusing the brewing diplomatic incident. “Bacon extra crispy.”

“There's bacon too?” asked Ashley. “Hermann, have you been holding out on me?”

“Easy there, soldier,” warned Shiala. “Don't inflict that military-grade humour on civilians. We like our mornings peaceful.”

“Sorry,” said Ashley. There was in fact, very little sound other than the noise of people eating or the occasional gurgle of coffee. But it was the amiable silence of people who all knew each other well, and didn't have a lot to say first thing in the morning.

They took their loaded plates and sat. Ashley was relieved that her science nerds had finally worked up the courage to approach the counter, more so when they kept their voices respectfully quiet. She watched as Shiala start to pack away her breakfast in neat little bites and followed her example when she paused and looked quizzically at her.

Ashley thought it was weird, how a few years ago, asari had seemed so exotic and alien to her. Then she'd met a few and found that they had the same tawdry concerns as any human: food, sex, galactic domination, the usual. Green, though. That was something new. Maybe that was why Shiala had chosen to isolate herself from her own kind.

Shiala wiped her mouth on her sleeve and belched delicately. Ashley suddenly thought that the day was looking up. “You finished?” Shiala asked.

Ashley was still forking eggs into her mouth steadily. She did her best are-you-for-real frown but resisted the urge to carefully chew every bite just to make a point. Evidently there wasn't any rush, because Shiala didn't look nervous or impatient in the least. Then again, Ashley had to remind herself, she was already six times her own age and had probably learned to keep her emotions in check. Maybe Shiala was just trying to get to know her, the sneaky and annoying asari way, by shaking her to see if she rattled.

Ashley chased the last few crumbs of bacon and laid her fork down. “Mission accomplished,” she announced.

“Can your people take care of themselves?” Shiala asked.

“Sure,” said Ashley. “Are yours going to cooperate?”

Shiala just gave her a look. A less confident woman might have been ever so slightly intimidated by the affectionate warning that it conveyed. Ashley revised her opinion of Shiala upwards again. “Then how about we go on a field trip?” she suggested.

Shiala stood and racked her utensils. Ashley followed half a step behind as she led the way across the main compound to a low gate. The guards were just accepting their relief and heading to breakfast themselves. Ashley was glad to see that they maintained a certain level of security even when there wasn't any obvious threat. That sort of thing was just good sense, and good discipline, like never going out without a communicator. Wherever they were off to, Shiala didn't seem to think that they were under-equipped. She wasn't even carrying a weapon.

Ashley waited until they were clear of the compound before starting up a conversation. “So your people don't like to talk much,” she observed. “How about you?”

Shiala turned her smile on Ashley, and it was a sly thing of some hard beauty. A soldier's smile. “Oh, you know,” she replied. “I was a commando, not a politician.”

“And now what are you?” asked Ashley.

“Patient, mostly,” replied Shiala enigmatically. “And a little bit of everything else too.” She walked on, turning down an old staircase that Ashley thought looked familiar. “We're still figuring things out, even now. Who does what... that doesn't seem to be fixed. I fill in where I'm needed.”

“Smooth sailing?” said Ashley.

Shiala paused to consider the question. “It's calm, but never dull,” she replied finally. “Not much action, but plenty to think about.”

“I'm glad,” said Ashley, and she meant it. Just once in all her time with Shepard, the mission hadn't involved killing everything that moved. It was good to see that it hadn't all been in vain. “And I'm really glad you're here to take care of them,” she added. “So where are we headed?”

“For some of that action I've been missing.” Shiala showed her teeth. “I thought I'd take advantage of you, while you're here.” But beyond that portentous statement, she refused to be drawn.

“And me in my nice clothes,” muttered Ashley, pining for the comfort of her hardsuit. But she'd have looked odd at breakfast, all geared up. A few steps later she did a double-take as she replayed Shiala's words in her head and wondered if the subtext was intentional. In her more paranoid moments she would have said so, but Shiala seemed like a straight-talker. Perhaps she was just flattering herself. Or maybe Shiala hit on everybody. Maybe it was an asari thing. 

They turned a corner and and came upon the lush hydroponic beds. Reflective light wells poured energy into the healthy looking plants without inflicting the excessive heat of the surface upon them. The revitalized water system kept the place filled with an echoing gurgle of noise.

“Wow,” commented Ashley. “This is incredible.” The foetid smell of the surface was replaced by the freshness of the healthy greens that filled the hydroponic garden. Splashes of colour were flowers and fruits. Shiala let a finger graze along a bright green squash as thick as her arm and caught Ashley's eye. OK, now that would definitely be flirtatious if she was human, Ashley thought. “The last time I was down here there was nothing,” she said in an effort to change the subject. “What were the colonists eating?”

“Are you sure you want to know?” Shiala turned away from the plants and moved on.

“I guess not.” Ashley looked at Shiala's retreating back. That was the second time she'd been evasive. What did she have to hide? She followed Shiala to the end of the linear garden.

A rockfall blocked further progress. Shiala was looking her up and down as she arrived, a doubtful expression on her face. “Turn around for me?” she asked. “I need to check out your ass.”

If this wasn't flirting then Shiala was a lot dumber than she looked. Ashley bit her tongue to stop from either scowling or giggling. It had been a long while since anyone had been quite so forward with her, and it was fun, even if they were a twice-brainwashed former fanatic-turned-protector. She set her face in as professional a grimace as she could muster, and put her hands on her hips. “My ass?” she said.

“You're going to squeeze through here,” Shiala indicated a narrow gap in the rockfall. “I've scouted it, but I couldn't get all the way through.” She indicated her own, well rounded rear end. 

Ashley spent a few seconds checking out her curves. In her skintight outfit, it was clear that Shiala's ample ass was mostly muscle. “I see the problem.” She half turned and compared it to her own rear end. There wasn't a huge amount of difference, but Ashley was marginally more streamlined.

“You'll do,” said Shiala. “Barely.”

“Why not send one of the colonists through?” asked Ashley. She climbed up onto a few of the larger rocks to peer into the crevice that she was supposed to pull herself into. “And what am I supposed to do when I get there?”

Shiala folded her arms. “Well, there may or may not be a nest of feral varren on the other side. I wouldn't send a civilian. And if you can get through, you can open up the secondary access, assuming it isn't also buried.”

Ashley felt her heart rate rising. “I'm a little claustrophobic,” she confessed. “Any idea how far it is?”

Shiala knelt on the rocks and they put their heads together. “Well, once you're around that rock, there's a turn, which is where I got stuck, but after that it opens out. Less than five meters, I'd say. Think you can manage?”

Ashley looked at Shiala out of the corner of her eye. Her sincere expression gave her the courage she needed. “Only one way to find out.” She unholstered her pistol and held it in front of her, then ducked her head into the narrow passage.

She had to move slowly and keep in mind that she wasn't wearing her helmet. Once her feet were fully inside the passage and she could brace her legs to lever herself forward it was easier. She curled belly first around the protruding boulder, leading with her pistol just in case.

“You OK in there?” Shiala called.

“Another fine day in the Corps,” Ashley called back. “Hey, at least it's warm and dry,” she added to herself. Her uniform held against the rough edges of the boulders, but she'd have some good abrasions to show off later. She saw the problem Shiala had faced. The passage got flatter. While it was wider than her shoulders, it was barely higher than her ass. She'd have to wriggle along on her belly or her back. The thought of staring up at some unknown tonnage of rock didn't do her any good. She made her way in a minute mockery of the marine crawl, shifting her weight from side to side and pressing herself as flat as she could on the uneven surface, advancing barely a centimetre at a time.

Ashley was sweating like a pig and starting to regret volunteering so eagerly. Impress the asari, get her to open up, reminisce about the plant that took over her brain. It wasn't even part of her brief, she was just doing it on the off-chance that the higher-ups would be impressed. You'd have thought the corps would have beaten the goody-two-shoes out of her by now. 

It had seemed like such a good strategy until she was pinned by the ass under a thousand tonnes of rock. God, why was she always so eager to put her ass on the line? For a stranger who showed no sign of appreciating that kind of classy humour, no less? Maybe if she took her pants off? That's probably what the asari was after anyway. Buck naked marines doing her duplicitous green bidding. Just like the Council, making the humans sing and dance for their seat.

“Hey,” called Shiala. “Are you stuck?”

She pulled herself together. “Just taking a breather,” said Ashley. She heaved forward with her arms and pushed with her toes. She tried again. Nothing. “OK. Now I'm stuck.” She took a few deep breaths and focused on the wider part of the tunnel immediately ahead. Her claustrophobia wasn't that bad. It was pretty mild. This was wide open spaces compared to that zero-gee drill with the escape pods.

Ashley felt a hand on her ankle. “How about a push?” said Shiala. “Spread out a bit.”

Well, this wouldn't be the worst indignity she'd suffered. That prize went to the time Vakarian had pulled her ass out of a fire while barely breaking his stride. She still thought he was a jerk, but she'd go back to back with his jerkness any day. He'd made quite a different sort of proposal later that same day, which she'd dismissed as the battle-high talking.

This day was turning out to be all about her ass. She felt Shiala squeeze forward into the space between her legs and apply her hands firmly to each cheek, her thumbs curving down the inside of her thighs. Damn it! Why was she thinking about how long it had been been she'd been properly laid now of all times? She was glad Shiala couldn't see her face as it reddened with something more than embarrassment. “Ready?” asked Shiala.

“Sure,” replied Ashley, tensing up and getting ready to push.

“Wait, wait,” said Shiala. Ashley relaxed again. “I see the problem. When you push, your muscles block you in. Just use your arms.”

They tried again. Ashley found it difficult not to use her legs. Shiala's hands tickled and made her legs twitch. She moved a little bit anyway, her buttocks squashing under the lowest part of ceiling. “It's working,” she said, with some relief. “Let's go again.” A couple more shoves and she felt a little bit less pressure. “OK, I think I've got it from here.” A wriggle, a jerk and a heave, and she was free to crawl her way to the end of the tunnel. She didn't catch what Shiala had to say to that, she was too busy sucking in a lungful of fresh air.

There were varren droppings on this side of the tunnel, but no sign of the animals themselves. Ashley held her pistol loosely with one hand and went in search of the secondary access controls. The access panel slid back, opening up a confined space under the walkway. Dark and cold, it was six inches deep in rancid stagnant water.

“Now just crawl through and open up my side,” Shiala told her matter-of-factly when she asked what she was supposed to do now.

Ashley wondered if this was the action she'd been promised or if there was yet more excitement to come. “Ah, hell,” she said to herself. “I haven't had a nice swim in a while.”

There turned out to be just enough headroom to shuffle along in a squat, so only her feet and her butt got wet. The access panel on the other end slid back and Shiala favored her with a sly smile that nearly made the effort worthwhile. “Nice work, soldier. Had enough fun for the day?”

“Not nearly,” Ashley replied. “Although I wouldn't mind drying out some.”

Shiala grabbed her hand and hauled her out of the wet access tunnel. She had strength behind her. “I'll have someone come and pump the water out. We can come back later to explore. I think we earned our lunch, though.”

Traipsing back to the camp in companionable silence, Ashley found herself starting to swagger like a pilot, somewhat more relieved at coming through the ordeal despite the lack of any real peril. Perhaps not showing weakness in front of Shiala had been the real challenge.

As they approached the gate, Shiala gave her a sidelong glance and inclined her head gently to the side. Ashley straightened up and stopped rolling her shoulders like an idiot. They went their separate ways. Ashley had mostly dried out, so she went to check on the science team.

“Williams,” said Marcus by way of greeting. He was the xenobiologist, and his measurements required the least direct interaction with the colonists. He seemed well-occupied.

“You need anything?” Ashley asked him.

“Check with Dr. Fort first,” he replied. “But if she doesn't have anything for you, then yes. I've got a lot of ground to cover. Careful though, she's in a bad mood.”

“Anything I should know about?” Ashley put a hand on her hip and shaded her eyes, peering across the compound to where Fort and the other neuro-biologists were clustered.

“First they didn't want to give her tissue samples,” said Marcus. He waved expansively at Ashley's expression. “I know, I wouldn't want her poking that needle in my head either. But now they won't even talk to the psychologists. It's like they think we're taking their words too. Like that would hurt.” He shook his head. “Weird.”

“Huh,” said Ashley. “Maybe I should talk to Shiala about that.”

Marcus busied himself with his apparatus. “Make a new friend, Williams?”

“Not sure yet,” she replied. That was an honest enough response. She didn't want to get into the whole story right now. Whether she found herself attracted to Shiala or not was moot. Everyone was attracted to asari. She wasn't about to do anything about it, not when she hadn't yet figured out what Shiala was up to. So she switched topics. “Hey, their hydroponics look awesome. You should check it out. I've never seen anything so green.”

“Greener than your friend?” asked Marcus without looking up.

Ashley didn't know Marcus very well, but she knew his type. He'd say something just because it sounded funny, not because there was any real malice behind it. It wasn't so distant from marine humour, just a little more refined. She knew how to deal with it. “You better hope Fort has something for me to do,” replied Ashley. “Or I'm going to be asking you which end of the sampling stick goes in the sample all afternoon.”

She walked off before he could come up with a witty retort. Better that he not tell her to stick anything anywhere. Man, the double-meanings were just piling up today. Or maybe she was just a dumb, horny marine on a cushy posting with not enough to do.

Fort brushed her off with the bare minimum of politeness. She needed a jarhead hanging around even less than Marcus did. But somehow he found enough gruntwork to keep her occupied for the rest of the day. She caught Shiala's eye at dinner, but ended up at a table with some of the colonists that she vaguely remembered knocking unconscious with the butt of her rifle. Shiala entertained Fort and her coterie, who were understandably frustrated but admirably self-controlled. From a distance it looked a little tense, but Shiala's sly smile won the day. Putting them off with promises of greater cooperation, no doubt. 

Dinner was more convivial than lunch or breakfast, and as sundown came, the compound was lit dimly by warm lights. The colonists brewed their own beer, and it was relatively terrible, but alcoholic enough that nobody much minded. Although they were reticent, she told them a little about what she'd been up to since she'd seen them last, and that seemed to put them at their ease.

At the stroke of ten, the colonists headed to their homes. It wasn't quite simultaneous, a few remained in conversation with the scientists, but you could tell they were just being polite. Well, they were good people. A tight-knit community might show a little bit of rigidity in their habits, especially after their experiences. Ashley rose with her table and headed for her quarters.

“Goodnight, soldier,” said Shiala, intercepting her. “See you at breakfast.”

Ashley's mouth was open before her brain had a chance to intervene. “It's a date,” she replied, her eyes widening even as she heard herself say the words. Then she turned on her heel and walked off stiffly, glad that Shiala couldn't see her face.


	2. Chapter 2

Ashley woke up in a sweat the next morning, the dream slipping away before she could pin it down, leaving just the impression of green heat giving way to the new dawn. Although the sheets were tangled and a little damp, she felt alert and ready. A little bit excited, truth be told. She was looking forward to breakfast. She had had fun the previous day, and although she wasn't ready to trust Shiala, at least keeping an eye on her was diverting. Much more interesting than poking the sampling stick into the dirt every couple of meters.

She sniffed at her pillow, then at her armpit. She should be a little riper than she was, given the state of the sheets and yesterday's exertions. Mostly she smelled faintly of freshly fallen leaves, like she'd started to absorb the just the best of the planet's dense odours. As she slid out of the bed she felt dizzy for a moment, like her body wasn't sure what her legs were for. She stumbled briefly, glad that there wasn't anyone there to see.

On her way to the breakfast area she encountered Marcus, and fell into step with him. They exchanged greetings and he whispered to her conspiratorially, as if they were old friends already. “Did you notice how they all went to sleep at the exact same moment last night? And today, they all got up at the same time too?”

“I noticed they left dinner together,” Ashley replied. She thought he was being a little bit too paranoid. “So they keep to a schedule. Is that weird?”

Marcus looked up at her. “No, I mean their heads hit the pillows and they closed their eyes all at just the same moment.”

“OK, that is strange,” Ashley admitted. “How do you know that, though? Are you spying on them?”

Marcus stiffened and looked straight ahead. “I really couldn't say,” he said. “Only, if you're going out with your friend again today... be careful.”

So the nerds were up to something. Ashley didn't know whether to appreciate the warning or to be appalled that the Alliance would so shamelessly deceive the colonists as to the intentions of their science mission. Unless they'd been infiltrated by Exogeni scientists. The corporation had invested rather heavily in studying the effects of the Thorian on humans. They might well try to subvert the Alliance mission.

“Damn it,” breathed Ashley. “Why can't we just let these people be?”

“That would be my preference too, Williams,” replied Marcus. It was interesting that he felt the need to make clear where his priorities lay, even if his loyalties were split. Ashley narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of Dr. Fort entering the breakfast tent. Likely she knew what was going on. Certainly though, she wouldn't be explaining herself to the hired muscle. Ashley cautioned herself against unwarranted suspicions. Fort was unpleasant, but that didn't necessarily mean she would countenance treason.

Shiala had saved her a spot at an otherwise busy table. Her eyes tracked Ashley in from the threshold of the tent, a wordless invitation that Ashley was happy enough to take her up on. Rogue scientists or not, the worst possible outcome for everybody would be if Shiala felt threatened and unleashed her biotics. She'd been powerful enough when she was just one of Benezia's foot soldiers, after her strange turn at the colour-wheel, it was anybody's guess as to her capabilities. Ashley resolved to be as solicitous as possible. And anyway, she was the only one who Ashley felt comfortable enough around to talk shit with, which was funny given that she was the only alien present. Maybe it had something to do with their military backgrounds, but their over-developed sense of irony found little traction with civilians.

“Sleep well, solider?” asked Shiala, her sly grin rapidly infecting Ashley with a lighter mood.

“You know,” Ashley replied, “you could use my name. If you want, I mean.”

“I have your permission?” Shiala shot back.

“It would be my pleasure,” Ashley said, as formally as she could manage. Were first-name terms a big deal with the asari? Better safe than sorry.

“Well, Ashley,” said Shiala. Ashley found it was quite literally pleasant to hear Shiala say her name. She wondered if anybody in her life had ever said it quite like that, with just the hint of softness on the first syllable. Ashley stuck a forkful of eggs in her mouth to hide how content she was at that moment, despite the intrigues that were no doubt playing out all around. A mouthful of hot breakfast and the attention of a rather beautiful admirer. Not a bad way to start the day. “Shall we take care of our varren problem this morning?”

Ashley couldn't stop herself from grinning like a fool. “Oh, hell yes,” she replied.

An hour later they were back at the rockfall again. A light pump hummed by the side of the access tunnel, which was clear of standing water, if not absolutely dry. Ashley dropped in and shuffled along in a squat, holding her rifle at the ready in case the varren got any bright ideas. She wondered if every soldier started to feel naked without their armor. She certainly had a lot more freedom of movement with her hardsuit protecting her against the rough edges of the real world.

She popped out of the other end like a prairie dog, checking all the angles before climbing out and giving Shiala the all-clear. “So where are these wild varren I've heard so much about?” she asked.

Shiala had her hands on her hips and was examining the spoor that Ashley had noticed the previous day. “Oh, this is all just an excuse to get you on your own,” replied Shiala. 

While Ashley was dolled up in her heavy armor plate, laden with weaponry and support systems, Shiala was prancing around in her usual one-piece skintight combo that left nothing to the imagination. It didn't look like practical wear for vermin hunting. “Is that why you're not carrying a weapon?” said Ashley.

“I thought you wouldn't appreciate it,” said Shiala. “Since the last time you saw me, I was shooting at you. Well, clones were anyway. Besides, you'll protect me, won't you Ashley?”

Ashley was quiet for a few moments. She had a thousand questions about the Thorian, how it had changed her, and whether that had anything to do with the weird behaviour of the colonists. but right now, she was on point, and Shiala was unarmed. Duty came first. “You're really very annoying,” she said finally.

She could feel Shiala's sly grin burning a hole in the back of her helmet but she didn't turn around to confirm it. She didn't need to. The curl of Shiala's lip, the wrinkle of her nose and the twinkle of her eye. The images were so strong in her mind's eye, Ashley could practically taste them. She could feel Shiala's smugness radiating outwards in waves, but she found that she wasn't that upset at being outmanoeuvred. It was sort of comforting that Shiala trusted her so much. She was eager for the responsibility. She started forward along the walkway, looking for movement on her combat scanner.

“Any idea where we'll find them?” Ashley asked after they had come a few hundred metres along the walkway, constantly alert to the smallest sounds. The hydroponic beds this far along looked like they'd never been used. Ashley turned to look at her, finally. 

“I was following you,” quipped Shiala, raising her gaze from somewhere near ass-height. Her grin was a physical thing, a caress on Ashley's cheek and a punch in her gut. 

Ashley snapped her mouth shut. “Will you quit kidding around?” she said. “We don't do jokes in hostile territory.”

Shiala composed her features into an appropriately serious mask. “Lead on. I think the next left looks promising.” There wasn't a trace of irony in her voice, but Ashley could still somehow sense how self-satisfied she was.

Ashley went in to the bay on the left first, rifle at the ready. Her scanner didn't register any movement, but that was no reason to be careless. The two-level space showed signs of recent activity, droppings and nesting materials. “We're getting closer,” she said. Shiala nodded in agreement. They headed up to the mezzanine.

“Contact!” Ashley hissed at Shiala. Just at the edge of her scanner, several animal-sized contacts showed up, moving in their direction. Shiala was exploring the corner of the protruding space, which was enclosed by a low stone balustrade. Ashley realised that there wasn't enough time to get to the door. “Cover!” she ordered, as she threw herself down against the stone rail.

Peering over the rail, she counted five large varren entering the passageway they had come in by. They snuffled around the lower level. Moving slowly, trying to avoid any noise at all, Ashley unclipped her pistol from its hardpoint and offered it to Shiala.

Five was OK. Five was doable. If Shiala provided covering fire, Ashley was confident she could hold the stairs and maybe even drive them back towards the entrance. If they could bottle them up in the passage they should be easy to pick off. Varren weren't very smart. Once they had a whiff of you they would keep coming until they were dead.

Ashley communicated her plan to Shiala with hand signals. She crept to the corner of the mezzanine and sighted her rifle around the edge of the stairway. She waited until the varren were nicely arranged, and then opened up with her rifle. She took one down before the others had much of a chance to react, advancing a few steps down the stairs, but then had to switch clips. Shiala peppered the leader of the remaining group with pistol rounds, but they barely seemed to slow it down. It reached the bottom of the stairs before Ashley unleashed a new burst of fire and it went down.

The last three were bounding up the stairs already, however, and Ashley was forced to scoot back, firing controlled bursts at them as she retreated. Reaching the top of the stairs again, she waited until she saw a snout, stamped at it with her armored boot, and hightailed it to take a stand by Shiala. The injured whine was gratifying but the last two animals were still advancing pell-mell on their position, with the third limping forward in the rear.

Ashley didn't have time to switch her clip out again and wielded her rifle butt. She could beat one varren down, no trouble, and assumed Shiala could handle herself similarly. It was the injured third, its pride clearly wounded, that caught her off guard. Coming in from her blind side, it knocked her forward into the animal she was pounding on. She tried to roll over it and tangled with its limbs, fortunately avoiding its snapping jaws as she went down on her front.

Ashley pulled her rifle back towards her and tried to turn over, but before she could, she was picked up and swatted on the ass by a huge concussion. The noise caught up with her just as her helmet took the brunt of the impact with the far wall.

The dank smell was strong in Ashley's nostrils. Clods of freshly blasted earth surrounded her. She inventoried her limbs carefully before moving. A brief wave of nausea gave way before her adrenaline surge. She rose to one knee and brought her rifle to bear. The varren were no longer in evidence. A green glow was fading around Shiala, who looked serene. Weren't biotics normally blue? Still, that explained why she was confident enough to go wandering around without a weapon.

“Sorry about that,” said Shiala as she came over. “I don't like to use my biotics when other people are around. I don't have the control I used to.”

“You've still got the power, though.” Shiala hauled Ashley to her feet. Her hand was warm and made Ashley's palm tingle, even through her gloves. “Aren't biotics usually blue?” she asked.

“But you see, I'm special,” said Shiala. She put a hand on her hip and waved her other over her body.

“Oh, hey, I didn't mean...” said Ashley, blushing. “I mean, I wasn't...”

“Oh, and now you're red,” said Shiala. “Aren't humans usually pink or brown?”

Ashley gambled. “Oh, stop teasing me, Green,” she said dismissively.

Shiala's eyes flashed with heat, and for a moment Ashley thought she might have miscalculated. But the fierce smile returned, and she felt the warmth of Shiala's gaze everywhere from her nipples to her knees. “Heck of a dent in your helmet, Ashley,” she said. “Guess I'll have to buy you a new one.”

Ashley made her weapon safe and then cracked her lid for inspection. “Well, you probably saved my ass too, so we could call it even.” She turned her helmet over in her hands, looking for the damage.

“Here, let me show you.” Shiala took it from her hands, then tossed it aside. Then she took Ashley's flushed cheeks in her hands and planted a soft kiss on her lips. All too quickly for Ashley to react. The warmth and tingle of her hands made Ashley's heart flutter in her chest, and when Shiala nibbled gently at her lower lip, then ran the tip of her tongue across it, she tasted sweet green earth. Up close Shiala was all the heady odours of Feros distilled to their essence.

Ashley blinked and gulped as Shiala released her. She put her hands out to steady herself. She felt lightheaded.

“We'd better head back,” said Shiala. She was already making for the stairs. Her round ass bobbed gently from side to side. 

Ashley's eye was drawn to it and she found her arm twitching. She needed a handful of that. She could almost feel how firm and pliant it would be in her grasp. She snapped out of her reverie as Shiala started to descend. She went to collect her helmet and trotted to catch up.

Were they going to talk about what just happened? Shiala set a brisk pace, her chin held high. Ashley marched beside her, helmet held under her arm. She kept looking over at the tall asari, trying to catch her eye, looking for an opening. Shiala favoured her with a sidelong glance, and Ashley was opening her mouth, but then she realised she didn't know what to say. Hey, thanks, let's make out some more? She understood that it was Shiala who was setting the agenda, keeping her off balance. And she realised that she was OK with that. She was having fun. She kind of liked being chased and flirted with and teased.

Ashley set her chin at the same angle as Shiala's and matched her stride for stride. Two could play at this game. She couldn't stop her eyes from sliding sideways to check if Shiala was sneaking peeks at her too, though.

She wasn't. Shiala's face was set in a blank mask and her pace had quickened. Ashley felt her light-hearted mood evaporate. She could feel the change in the air too, the smell of Feros becoming thicker and more oppressive. Even the fresh hydroponic plantation seemed somehow threatening as they passed it, overeager fronds brushing at them as double-timed it back to the base. Was it all in her head? Had she become dependent on Shiala's approval in such a short space of time? And what did she think she was doing, blowing hot and cold like this? Kissing her one minute, ignoring her the next. It was making Ashley grouchy. The happy, light-hearted version of Shiala was someone she could trust. The cold, distant one wasn't.

When they reached the camp there was only one guard on duty at the gate. Shiala nodded to him and blew past without stopping. There was a small crowd gathered in the middle of the compound. Ashley spied Dr Fort, a severe expression on her face, making a chopping gesture with her hand.

“Absolutely not,” Fort was saying. “He was one of my team.” She saw Ashley and Shiala approaching. “Williams. There's been an incident.”

As the crowd parted, Ashley saw Marcus lying on the floor. His body was curled up save for his neck, which was tense and stretched. A trickle of green foam oozed from the corner of his mouth. He was dead.

Ashley swore and knelt for a close look. She hadn't known him well, but he wasn't a bad guy. She felt somehow responsible, even though her role on this mission was entirely diplomatic. “Don't touch him, Williams,” said Fort. “We think he was poisoned. And these people,” she spat, “want to take him away. And hide the evidence, I can only presume.”

The colonists deferred silently to Shiala. Ashley looked up at her. The heat haze behind her seemed to glow green, pulsing along with the anger that was plain on her face. But when she spoke, it was in an even tone. “Of course, Doctor,” she said. “He's one of yours. Please investigate. We stand ready to provide any assistance you require. But I'm sure we'll find out that it was an accident. Please keep me informed if you turn up anything that could be dangerous to others.”

“Dangerous?” asked Fort suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

“He was a biologist, wasn't he?” said Shiala. “If he found a poisonous plant, for example... we haven't catalogued everything on this planet yet.” She started to shoo the colonists away.

“He would never be so foolish,” said Fort, her eyes downcast. But sadness was overcoming her anger and her denial lacked conviction.

Ashley helped the scientists set up a small portable sunshade around Marcus's body while they performed their tests. They isolated his equipment and samples, and downloaded his logs. Ashley started to feel like a fifth wheel as they began to communicate in short-hand. She saw Shiala and one or two of the colonists watching from some way away. They didn't look worried. More sad. 

Ashley recognised that her place was here for the moment, no matter how much she just wanted to go to Shiala and seek comfort in her arms. She'd seen a lot of death, she could even say she was used to it by now. But she hadn't been prepared for it, this time. This wasn't supposed to be that kind of mission. And she'd just been talking to him a few hours ago. She sat on one of his crates and looked at his corpse. He looked like his death had been agonising and slow. Hadn't anyone seen it happening, here in the middle of the compound?

Ashley noticed something between her feet. A small sample tube, lying snug against the crate. The specimen inside it was a plant, dark green, nothing like the plants she'd seen in the hydroponic garden. It moved slightly under the glass. Breathing. It reminded her... it reminded her of... something. Something that slipped away from her as she tried to pin the memory down. She glanced around at the scientists nearby. She leaned down and picked up the tube, slipping it into her boot. She would study it later. They didn't need to know about it. Certainly it had nothing to do with Marcus's unfortunate incident.

She should find Shiala. She was the only one she could really talk to. She didn't trust Fort and the other scientists. Marcus had warned her that one of them had an agenda, was working for Exogeni. Shiala would want to know about that. She would know what to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Ashley woke with the taste of Shiala on her lips, a cry dying in her throat. Her body was stretched out, her back arched, her limbs wrapped and tangled in damp sheets. She remembered the vivdness of the dream, she remembered how it made her feel, burning with passion at the same time as utterly content, safe and protected. But she couldn't remember the dream itself. It edged away from her the more she tried to pick up the details, fading into the light of the new day.

She relaxed slowly and took several deep breaths. Despite the tension of the previous day, and her disturbed sleep, she felt remarkably good. Fresh as a daisy, in fact. She untangled herself from the sheets and ran her hands through her hair, across her body. Her skin felt soft, her hair clean when it should be matted and greasy after three days without a wash. She sniffed at her pit. She smelled the green musk of Feros, nothing more. Odd.

She pulled on her fatigues and headed out to find breakfast. Life went on. People didn't stop eating just because of one death. The scientists hadn't found anything useful in Marcus's gear or  notes that might explain his untimely demise. None of them were really qualified to do an autopsy, but they had screened his blood and performed a few non-invasive scans. He'd died with a massive cerebral haemmorhage, but it wasn't clear what had caused that. There were no signs of poison, nothing to explain the greenish foam on his lips. They'd put his body in stasis for now.

Fort had been ready to go nuclear, to call in the Colony Board and recommend that they take control of the place. Ashley was beginning to wonder about her motivations. It was nearly unthinkable, but could Fort have caused this? Did she want an excuse to conduct more invasive, less consensual testing on the colonists? They hadn't been very cooperative so far. Ashley had defused, or at least delayed the confrontation that Fort seemed to be looking for by promising that today she would try and retrace Marcus's footsteps. Maybe he had encountered something unknown, or perhaps he had just made a mistake and touched the wrong plant or been bitten by the wrong insect.

Shiala had offered to go with her. Only the fact that she had been out with Ashley all day, and couldn't possibly have been responsible, prevented Fort from arguing. She still took Ashley aside and cautioned her to keep a close eye on the green asari. There was always the possibility that the colonists were engaged in some kind of conspiracy.

That was too paranoid, even for Ashley. Shiala might occasionally be evasive but she seemed an honest sort at heart. You could understand her reticence, she was cut off from her species and taking a huge responsibility upon her shoulders. She didn't want to show weakness, or doubt, or give someone like Fort the least excuse to manufacture a case against her continued presence at the colony. And if you wanted to look for motive, there couldn't be a more sinister one than profit. Fort was acting just like an Exogeni mole would, sowing discord and doubt in order to exploit the unfortunate situation.

Breakfast was even quieter than usual. Hermann knew how the visitors liked their eggs and none of them had the courage to ask for anything different. Ashley tried to ignore the frosty stare that Fort seemed determined to inflict on everyone that crossed her path. Shiala was unnaturally calm and composed. The choice of who to sit with was obvious, in that regard.

Shiala watched her eat. Ashley didn't mind that at all. She watched Shiala right back. It was comforting. She had to stop herself from grinning like a fool more than once, as she momentarily forgot about Marcus and remembered the feeling of the tip of Shiala's tongue caressing her lip. She had to set those feelings aside for the the time being. She hoped that if she ever met a sticky end, someone would care enough to find out the truth. That was her responsibility today.

Ashley finished her meal and Shiala gently inclined her head to one side. They put some distance between themselves and the breakfast tent before speaking. "Are we going downstairs?" asked Shiala, pointing to the access to the lower levels in the center of the compound.

"Looks like," replied Ashley. Marcus had made an excursion to the spiralling lower levels of the compound the previous day, according to his logs. It was the only time he had been out of contact with the rest of the science team. Still, it had been several hours before his death, which had been in the middle of the compound. It was probably nothing but they had to check it out anyway. "I better go get my gear."

Shiala put her hands on her hips. "You know, we go down there fairly often. I think we'd know if there was anything dangerous."

"You think I don't need my gun?" asked Ashley. She was only half-joking. She always felt better with her rifle in her arms. But then again, Shiala could blow shit up with her mind. She was safe enough. "Well, if you promise to warn me before letting rip again?"

"I promise," said Shiala solemnly. Ashley looked at her, checking carefully for any hint of irony. She found nothing but honesty there. Everything in her tone said she would protect Ashley from harm. Ashley felt her chest swell with that comforting knowledge and turned to walk on before her contentment became visible on her face.

They descended into the underbelly of the colony. The first level down had been seen some use as a recreational area out of the direct heat of the sun, but beyond that it was much as Ashley remembered from her encounter with the Thorian and Shiala's many green clones. It was greener now, as different plants had taken root where nodes and creepers of the sentient plant had decayed into rich compost. Perhaps that was why the memories of that time lacked potency, somehow. It had been weird and scary, to encounter a mind-controlling plant older than civilisation.

It had devolved into a firefight soon enough, well within Ashley's comfort zone, but she remembered the feeling of existential dread. She had worried about the Thorian taking over the galaxy and enslaving all life. But although she recalled the adrenaline fuelled panic, running and gunning from level to level, she didn't feel any of that urgency now. She was having a visceral reaction, but it wasn't the one she expected. As they descended, the humidity increased, and the dank, earthy vegetable odour was stronger. And she was wet between the legs. Her undies felt soaked. She was amazed she didn't squish when she walked. It smelled just like Shiala had tasted, and something about that was bypassing her conscious mind and flowing straight to her crotch.

Marcus had gone several levels down, looking for who knows what. His notes had described a small number of specimens, but nothing that he hadn't already catalogued elsehwere. When they finally reached the spot he had marked in his logs as his final destination, there was nothing there. Ashley turned around on the spot, desperately trying to ignore the heat rising from her crotch. 

The smell was at its strongest down here. Ashley moved briskly, trying not to stand still, trying to breathe through her mouth as much as possible as she double-checked the nooks and crannies. She could feel panic rising now, or perhaps just excitement, and she tried to tamp it down. Shiala was watching her as covered the same ground again, as her brows furrowed. She was missing something. The newly vital plant life was absent from this area. She looked back the way they had come. The greenery tapered off, just in this corner. There must be a reason. She couldn't think straight. Why wasn't there anything for her to shoot? She wasn't cut out for this detective crap.

Ashley stopped when Shiala wrapped her in her long green arms and held her close. She shut her eyes and let out a guttural breath, blowing panic and tension out, letting herself melt into Shiala's arms. But instead of fading away, the tension pooled between her legs, and the electric tingle she felt where Shiala touched her made her whole body throb in something that felt like a diffuse orgasm, her fingers and toes twitching out of her control.

“What's happening?” gasped Ashley. “Why am I feeling... this?” Shiala's proximity, her earthy musk, was overwhelming. Ashley would have fallen.

Shiala turned Ashley around in her arms. Ashley felt her piercing gaze weigh and measure her. She was relieved when Shiala leaned in to kiss her, relieved that she had been found worthy. Shiala's hands roved across her back, brushing lightly against her ass. Ashley moaned with lust, parting her lips in invitation. The heady taste of wet earth filled her mouth as Shiala brought lips and tongues together in a moist, slow kiss that grew firmer and more frantic as Ashley tried to drown her senses in Shiala's intense flavours.

Ashley let her hands cup Shiala's rear, and found it to be to her liking. Muscular perfection, it left her hands trembling. Shiala brought one hand to Ashley's nape, controlling their embrace, and traced Ashley's spine with another, causing frissons of electric heat. With a third hand she clasped Ashley's thigh, just where it met her ass.

With a third hand...

Ashley felt her stomach churn. Blood drained away from her face. She broke the kiss and tried to pull away from Shiala. But Shiala's grip was iron, and Ashley was dizzy and weak from the heady aroma of Feros, the dank taste of Shiala's mouth.

A fourth hand. A fifth. Suddenly Ashley was moving backwards through the air, yanked by the waist. She looked down. A thick rope had coiled around her. She grabbed at it frantically, then reached out to Shiala, who was already beyond arms length. “Help!” she cried.

Shiala's sly smile was back, but instead of inspiring respect, it filled Ashley with fear. She followed as Ashley was whipped backwards through an opening that hadn't been there a minute ago, stalking dangerously, a green nimbus trailing in her wake.

First one of Ashley's arms tangled in something, then the other. Her legs, likewise, were soon enmeshed. She regained some of her composure and started to struggle. There was some give, but slick coils began to creep around her, more of them coming from behind her, keeping her limbs away from each other. They slipped and slid against her, and she thought she could break free, but their progress was inexorable, they exploited every grunt and heave to further entangle and control her. They coiled around her chest and she cried out in fear that she would suffocate as they squeezed her tight.

Ashley could see tangled roots in the chamber she had been carried backwards into. The musky smell was as thick as soup in here, chokingly strong. She fought to clear her lungs and nose of the vile stench.

Slowly, as she continued to struggle as best she could, Ashley was turned around and she caught sight of the last remaining node of the Thorian. Slimy roots sprouted from between its grotesque vegetable lips. Those that hadn't yet entrapped her whipped around, questing for a target, sometimes twisting obscenely around their neighbours, straining blindly. “Oh, shit!” she screamed. “No. No!”

A surge of panic drove her to thrash as hard as she could against the coiling strands. They were slick and deceptively soft against her bare skin, they slid on their own copious lubricating slime. But always seemed to lengthen faster than they slid off her, gradually grasping more and more of her body.

The fronded vertical lips of the node separated with a wet sound, and it opened before her, a rank and pustulating flower, its breath weighty, fermented. The roots that entangled her were just the longest, the inner surfaces of the node were filled with mobile cilia of varying length and thickness, and Ashley was slowly, inexorably being drawn towards them. 

As she drew to within a meter or so a number of shorter, more dexterous rhizomes made contact and wrapped themselves around her. Ashley was in a full-bore panic. She was helpless. She mewled in fear as she was manipulated and compressed. “Please!” she begged. “Shiala! Please!”

One coil slid around her neck and pulsed, cutting off her breath for a moment. Despite herself, she felt her crotch throb with desire. She had heard about that response to imminent death. She tried to calm herself, to face it with dignity. She tried to think of her favourite poem. All that came to mind was Shiala's face, burning a hole in her with her shining eyes.

The strong, mobile roots oozed more slime and whipped her clothes off, shucking her like a head of corn. Boots, pants, shirt, underwear, all were gone in the space of a few seconds, so many lithe arms had made her so slippery and helpless.

Naked, she faced the waving mass of tentacles that comprised the inside of the node. “Holy father, please protect me...” she began, before she was jerked forward to splash into the obscene many-fingered embrace of the Thorian sac. She was pushed a little into the soft surface, and soon every inch of her naked form was covered, slimed, squeezed.

Then her sight grew dim. Ashley twitched and shivered, but more adrenaline couldn't help her now. The sac was closing behind her, compressing the cilia around her, and she was powerless against it. She made a conscious decision to accept her fate. She stopped fighting.

Nothing happened for a little while. Ashley breathed in and out, letting the humid stench of the Thorian womb fill her lungs and empty her mind. She was held firmly, the roots still pulsed and squirmed gently against her. The many smaller appendages touched her delicately. It was almost pleasant, to be touched everywhere.

It was the ones near her face that she had the most trouble with. She couldn't bring herself to just stop breathing. She still turned her head when one of the blind, questing roots blocked her mouth, still sought oxygen. It was dark and she couldn't see, but soon a space opened in front of her face and something else pushed through. A mass of fine worms presented itself to her, groped its way across her face. She recoiled in disgust, but couldn't escape. It found her mouth and plunged inside, stuffing it full of a writhing slimy mass. She had to breathe through her nose. She wanted to vomit it out, but she knew that would likely lead her to choke to death.

Then she felt pressure at the roof of her mouth. And then stabbing pain, her head felt like it was cracking open. A green starburst exploded behind her eyes, and she could see again.

She could see the pulsating, distended sac of the Thorian from the outside. She could feel her body, bound in strong slimy tentacles, and she twitched as hard as she could. She saw the sac shift from the outside, just a little. She thrust again, and saw greater movement. Her viewpoint grew close to the sac. She saw a green hand lay upon the surface and caress it.

“Shhh,” said Shiala. “Don't fight it. Remember.”

She could feel pressure from the side where Shiala's hand lay, and in her mind, she could feel another kind of pressure. Shiala's will lay heavily upon her panic, blanketing her in warmth, calming her. 

“That's right,” Shiala said. “Be calm. I give you permission. Remember now.”

Ashley's dreams surfaced from her unconscious mind. Only they hadn't been dreams. Each night, she had been the guest of the Thorian sac. It had enveloped her, washed her clean with its slime, perfumed her with its dank odour, and made love to her with its engorged cilia. It had trained her to adore it, to worship it and its green mistress. As it would do again now. She felt the fine writhing masses of cilia, some of which, she remembered now, were too small to see, and would slide harmlessly into her skin to interface directly with her nervous system. They approached her from all sides, worming their way into her vagina and ass, cupping her breasts, spreading to fill her niches and tap every one of her nerve endings.

Her body was on fire. Pure pulses of pleasure flowed through her at Shiala's command. She was wet within and without, hungry, desperately dependent on Shiala's will. Conditioned by three nights of similar treatment, she submitted eagerly, wishing only to be worthy of such special treatment, resolving to serve Shiala with every fiber of her being, to adore her forever.

“Good girl,” Shiala said. Ashley saw through her eyes, how the Thorian sac stretched when she was allowed her first orgasm and her body spasmed with delight.

Ashley knew she should enjoy it while it lasted, because her memory would be wiped again afterwards, leaving her with nothing but dreams and yearning for the dark warmth of Feros and the desire to kneel before its green queen.

\------------------

Ashley took one last look at the colony compound as she stepped onto the shuttle. Good people. Shiala took good care of them, too. Just four days, but it had really started to feel like home. They deserved a break. She'd put in a good word for them with the brass. 

Shiala touched her on the arm lightly as her foot left their soil. She didn't have to say anything. Their kiss hadn't led to anything more. But asari lived a long time. She might still be waiting, when Ashley came back.

And at the bottom of her pack, an odd little plant breathed in its sample tube.


End file.
